The Disadvantage of Being Alien
by Ford.Ye.Fiji
Summary: A spoonful of Sugar helps the medicine go down in the most delightful way! Unless of course you're deathly allergic to the medicine. In which the Doctor plays football and Rory helps in the only way he can.


**A/N: Set in the middle of 'The Power of Three.' When the Doctor's stays from months. Come on, you can't expect me to believe no shenanigans happen while he's there! Also, influenced by a story of Dobby's Socks. Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Wish I did though. Who knows... Miracles do happen...**

The Doctor had gotten half-used to the boring home that belonged to the Ponds. Of course, the wii was helping him cope but thats besides the point. The Doctor likes to think he did it all himself, so we'll give him this one, eh? They didn't count on the fact that some of the neighborhood kids liked to play football and they were in need of goalie.

The hapless _bored_ Doctor was wandering around the neighborhood when he stumbled upon the kids distress. Never one to decline children's desperate pleads, he relented and joined their game. Never interfere. Unless, there's crying children.

"Lucy!" The Doctor gasped as the brunette jogged over from her position on the field.

"Watch out for Bernard, he's going to try and make the pass."

Lucy nodded and her eyes narrowed at the blond beefy boy opposite her on the other side of the field.

"He's a dirty cheater, that one! Doctor, I know he put something hard in the ball!"

"Nonsense! It's not his ball."

"But it is!"

"Oh. Oh, well in that case ignore what I just said, I'll get him if he hurts somebody."

Lucy sighed but returned to her position as the second round began. The Doctor did not count on the boy sliding and kicking the ball so far it almost went in the goal. Luckily the Doctor blocked it, unfortunately, he blocked it with his head.

Bernard was sent home but so was the Doctor, with his little team of kids helping him along. They all were adamant that they didn't want Bernard on their team if he was going to be a rotten sport and cheat like that. All the Doctor wanted was for them to stop talking so loud, preferably not at all.

Amelia gasped when about twenty of the neighborhood kids showed up with her wayward Timelord.

"Doctor! What have yo- what has he done?" Amy half-shouted.

"It was Bernard, Miss Pond! Honest! He's a dirty rotten cheater and we swear not to play with him anymore!"

"What? Why?"

"He put something hard in the ball and then he kicked it right at the Doctor's head!"

"On purpose! I think." Shouted another of the kids.

Amelia gaped as the kids began babbling all at once.

"Oi! Shut up!" She shouted as she noticed a livid swelling bruise that had formed on the Doctor's forehead.

The Doctor's eyes were big and round and he was giving her the 'please help me I'm wounded' puppy dog face.

"You kids go home and I'll take care of the Doctor. Go on, shoo!" The kids scampered off, each returning to their own homes.

"Rooooryyyyy!" Amelia hollered back into the house.

The Doctor, who had followed her into the hall, winced and squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of her thunderous voice. "Ouch." The Doctor moaned and Amy glanced back at him. "Oops."

Rory came out of the kitchen with a dish and cloth in once hand. "Amy, what? Oh. What have you done to yourself now?"

Rory strode over and handed his plate to Amy who didn't take it. Rory sighed and shoved it into the Doctor's limp hands. Rory examined the Doctor's pupils.

"You've got a concussion. Amy take him into the sitting room and make sure he doesn't fall asleep." Amy nodded and brought the Doctor who was now swaying slightly and mumbling. She shoved him onto the couch and the Doctor blinked and looked just past Amelia as if there was something behind her.

"Doctor? Are you alright?"

"Hmmm. You've got three heads, did you know that Amelia Pond? M'just a bit sleepy..."

"No. Don't fall asleep, Doctor!" Amy frowned and then she smacked him across the face when he continued to ignore her.

"Ow! Amelia what did you do that for?"

"You've got a concussion sleepyhead."

The Doctor muttered indignantly but he didn't close his eyes even though he kept getting less and less lucid. Rory finally came in with water and two aspirin.

"Doctor take this medicine, it'll help."

"No. No!"

"Doctor."

"I don't like medicine..." The Doctor whined petulantly.

Rory sighed, sometimes the Doctor was very immature. He stuck the pills into the water and when they dissolved he hand the glass to his friend.

"Drink this. It'll help."

"What is it?" The Doctor asked suspiciously.

"Water." Rory lied. The Doctor drank all of it.

"Amy, he can go to sleep now it's been at least six hours. Amy looked out the window. "Where does the time go these days!" She said in amazement.

Rory picked up the forgotten plate and towel before he went to the kitchen to finish the load of dishes from the morning. Amy sighed and knelt next to the Doctor who had curled into a ball on the couch. He was sound asleep.

Amy sighed. "You daft old man." She sighed again and carded his sweaty hair through her fingers. His _sweaty_ hair. His _very_ sweaty hair. She noticed he had started shivering- no, convulsing.

"Rooooryyyyy!" She shouted for the second time that day.

Rory ran out of the kitchen and found the Doctor moaning and clutching at his stomach. "Oh my god. Amy! Get the emergency medical kit from the bathroom!" Amy nodded and in a flash she was up the stairs to their bedroom.

The Doctor coughed as he stared woefully at Rory through fever glazed eyes. Amy handed Rory the kit and he started digging through it.

"What is it? What happened!? I thought it was just a concussion!" Rory turned and grabbed her forearms. "Amy. Calm down." Amy nodded weakly and he turned back with a shout of triumph as he found what he was looking for.

"He's having an allergic reaction, must've been the aspirin." He pulled the needle and then poised it over the Doctor's thigh. He was starting to develop hives.

"What if it doesn't work? He's an alien!"

"We'll have to hope." Rory said before he stabbed the Doctor.

 **DWDWDWDWDWDW**

When the Doctor woke the next morning he was very groggy.

His perception of time seemed muted and fuzzy. But after he got up and ate some fish fingers and custard (And maybe some bananas too) everything seemed to be on track again. Except for the two Ponds.

For some reason they had decided to sleep in the living room.

This was a very sweet gesture that touched his hearts about how much they worried him, but it was hardly necessary. They would most likely be sore, like he currently was, and grouchy. Grouchy Ponds were not the best Ponds so, he decided to make them breakfast.

And that's how at five in the morning the Ponds awoke to pancakes with strawberries and powdered sugar, scrambled eggs with bacon and sausage, and a cup of morning tea. The kitchen was sparkling clean and the Doctor was nowhere to be found.

This was very curious but they let it be thinking that maybe he'd gone and occupied himself in the TARDIS. Of course, Rory was a bit worried about his patient but Amy convinced him the Doctor was fine.

After the breakfast was finished, however, they found him asleep next to his box with a blanket on the dew covered ground. Amy noticed him shivering and she went inside. Rory checked his vitals and pondered on the bruise which was almost entirely gone.

Amelia had returned shortly thereafter with a blanket that she covered him with. The Doctor had immediately snuggled into it and buried himself in a cocoon of the enormously thick fluffy quilt.

He'd looked so peaceful in the soft covering under the fading stars and the rising sun that they left him out there.

The boy and his box asleep under the stars.


End file.
